Soft and flexible materials such as leather are sometimes used in forming structures in electronic equipment. A layer of leather may, for example, be used as a case for an electronic device such as a cellular telephone or a laptop computer. Leather tends to be soft to the touch and pleasing to the eye, making it an ideal material for carrying or covering electronic equipment.
It can be challenging to incorporate leather in electronic equipment. If care is not taken, a light-based output device or other illumination system may be blocked by the leather, making it difficult to provide light-based output to a user. Some leather cases include large openings for providing access to input-output components of an electronic device. However, large openings can be unsightly and can degrade the overall look and feel of the leather.